Verse 3

In plain words

It passed into the hands of the weak, of people who had never mastered their senses, and it was lost. Seeing this yoga gone, and seeing the world no longer connected to what a human life is actually for —

This is that very yoga, the ancient one, and I have spoken it to you — te means tubhyam, to you — today, adya, that is, right now. You are my devotee, and my friend.

'—and you are,' he says. A secret: because this one is the highest there is. And 'yoga' here means knowledge. That is the sense.

Close to the Sanskrit

Having come upon the weak, those whose senses are unmastered, and having perceived this yoga to be destroyed, and the world to be unconnected with the goal of human life —

That very same this — the ancient yoga — has been spoken by me to you (te, that is, tubhyam) today (adya, that is, idānīm, now); you are my devotee and friend.

'...and you are,' thus. A secret — for, since this is the supreme one; 'yoga' is knowledge: such is the sense.

In plain words

Once, speaking playfully with Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa Paramātma said (readers, taste the rasa of compassion this yoga points to): “Brother-in-law! You are My supreme devotee; and not only that, you are My dearest friend. I have no other friend like you; that is why I have taught this sacred, highest secret to you.” Consider how deep its inner meaning is. In the world many people confer titles on themselves, saying ‘we are devotees’. But God has never given anyone the title “You are a devotee”. The one who has received from God's heart the title “You are My devotee”: he is a devotee. Those who cannot melt God's heart may think themselves devotees as much as they like; that is only their own petty satisfaction, not the satisfaction of the Ātma. The one who won the title “You are My devotee” is Arjuna alone. From this you can know how pure Arjuna's heart is and how worthy he is of God's grace. The idle prattle and patter of those who keep saying of themselves, “we are devotees, we are devotees”, are mere bundles of air. Only when there is acceptance from the other side is there a sign that they are devotees, is there not? Bhakti drives disobedience far away. But that alone is not enough. That is why Kṛṣṇa Paramātma also used the word ‘friend’. Where there is friendship there is no fear. If each of these is not there for the other, one cannot be fit for the highest vidyā. So only when Bhakti and friendship are both present together can one become fit to receive grace.